Attuned to the Needs of Managed Care Providers

We work with some of the largest managed care providers in Southern California, and we work very hard to help them achieve their goals—minimizing returns to acute settings, reducing hospital bed days, and increasing customer satisfaction.

Our efforts to minimize returns to acute settings begin when we receive a referral to hospice. Even before a patient has been admitted to our care, we undertake a great deal of front-end case management to ensure that the transition to hospice goes smoothly. Our liaisons are continuously trained to identify potential issues related to complex clinical needs, housing viability, caregiver availability, and the correct designation of the authorized representative. They work collaboratively with the patient, family, and provider to address any potential issues prior to admission to hospice.

Additionally, identifying and arranging the appropriate housing solution, up front, goes a long way towards avoiding readmissions to the hospital. We are very effective at locating placement for patients in skilled nursing or long term care facilities that meet their needs.

Managed care providers are increasingly caring for members with high levels of acuity. Once a patient has been admitted to our care, we possess the clinical capacity to meet their complex needs. To help families avoid returns to acute settings, we offer many clinical services—within reasonable limits—that other hospice agencies largely eschew, including paracentesis, artificial nutrition, IV’s, pain pumps, and BiPAP or CPAP machines. As issues arise, we are resourceful and creative in resolving them.

In order to reduce hospital bed days, we accommodate same day admissions. We respond timely to referrals and operate with a reliable sense of urgency.

We are big believers in ongoing communication, and we work hard to keep the referring managed care group apprised of any issues so that we can work collaboratively to resolve them. In particular, we have had great success working collaboratively with managed care groups on challenging cases involving behavioral health issues.

Resolving complex issues up front, providing skilled clinical care that meets the needs of the patients, and doing it with compassion and a commitment to provide great customer service, leads to increased customer satisfaction for us, and for our managed care provider partners.